Now or Never
by Rhiannon Renegade
Summary: Ino confessed to Shikamaru only to be broken. No one loves her, do they? She wants to change that. She wants to be loved and he helps her along the way. Kankuro/Ino
1. Because I love you

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not even own this plot. My friend and I came up with this in an RP... I know... we are dorks huh? Well I am just adding to it. This is the first Chapter and all the parts with Sakura and Shizune are her ideas. I just twisted words around sometimes and changed the structure of sentences... and added stuff... XD

Here are a couple things to note:

This is kind of after Sasuke comes back. Yes I know he hasn't yet... but I am positive he will because if he didn't then fangirls (and fanboys) would boycott the series.

Asuma is not dead! Neither is Jiraiya!

Authors greatly appreciate it when people review. so please do!

I would like to thank my Beta-Reader for helping me...

OK I think thats it... yup it is... okay have fun... and please bear with me.

* * *

There was a tinkle of a bell signifying to all occupants of the Yamanaka Flower Shop that a couple customers had just walked in. Ino calmly propped her head up on her left hand and let her right one rest on her knee that was beneath the counter. "Welcome," Ino said. It wasn't full of enthusiasm like it normally was.

Shizune walked into the heavily scented building, sniffing, her eyes closed in pure ecstasy. "mm... flowers. I always love coming in here." She glanced over to Ino and asked, "What's got you so down?"

Ino looked at the two, blinking dumbly, for a moment. Then she put on a false smile and said, "Nothing, stupid! Hey forehead-girl! To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Before Shizune could reply, she was cut off by her traveling companion. "Shut up you fat sow!" Sakura howled, brandishing a fist in the air.

Shizune stuck out a hand to stop Sakura before she jumped at Ino, who was smirking. In a serious tone she reminded Sakura of their of their original intentions, "We are not here to make a mess! Be civil Sakura!"

Before backing off she growled, "Call me forehead-girl again and your gonna have to watch your back! I WILL GET YOU!" She screamed.

Shizune rolled her eyes, "Geez girl! Take some Midol and chill."

Sakura crossed her arms and snarled, "How funny." She glared fiercely at her elder. The two had never gotten along well.

"Well anyway," Shizune began "we're here to inform you about a Kunoichi, all girls sleep over that Lady Tsunade has scheduled, one week from today..."

Ino Smiled brightly, "Oh a sleepover! Me and forehead-girl used to have those weekly and-" Sakura began to reach for a flower pot to throw. Ino held out a hand and when Sakura paused she said in a deathly serious tone, "Touch the flowers and I will make your life a living hell." Ino took a deep breath, smiled at the two medic ninjas happily, then said, "I would love to go!"

Shizune nodded, waving politely as she turned to leave. Sakura, on the other hand, felt no need to follow proper etiquette. Instead she held a hand a over her head and flipped Ino off as she left.

Ino chuckled and called out, "I love you too forehead! Stop being such a stranger! Come by every once in a while!" Ino chuckled again when she hear Sakura yell something obscene. She brought her phone back above the counter.

She clicked on the message from Shikamaru. "I'm sorry Ino. I've though about what you said and... I just don't feel that way about you."

She hung her head and felt the burning sting of tears as the slid down her cheeks. Her day and gone from bad to shitty in matter of hours. She looked up. In a perfect world where everyone loved her, a really hot guy would walk in and make her forget it all. But this is not a perfect world and nobody loved her. So once again she would have to make due on her own.

She pick up and dialed a number. "Kiba?"


	2. But you don't believe me

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto... I hardly own anything of my own. What do you expect of a teenager. I would like to thank Becca, my lovely beta reader who has done a lot of revision and advice. The original chapter 2 was SOOOO horribly written its not funny. No I'm kidding. It was okay, but she made it better. Without her I am lost.

A/N: Sorry to all those who have waited I was in a bad slump when I lost the notebook with the original in there... note to self do not wait for days before typing up chapters. I will be updating more in the future. I know Ino and Kankuro have yet to meet and the real conflict hasn't even started to come out, but a good story needs a good set up or else it is ruined.

Okay enough of my rants... review and enjoy.

* * *

Kiba stepped out of his shower, a baby blue towel wrapped around his waist, to hear his cell phone ringing from the bed. The ringtone was "Jesse's Girl" So it had to be Ino. Now Kiba didn't actually like Ino in that way, in fact he didn't like her at all, but he could tell when someone had a hot body. She needed to eat more but she was every boy's wet dream.

He flipped open the phone, "Hey Ino, what's up?"

"Kiba? Hi! Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Naw, Don't worry about it." He pulled on some clothes as he talked.

"Okay... Kiba what do you think about me?"

"You're a bitch." Kbia said, bluntly. He hated sugar-coating words.

"Oh..." Kiba frowned and said, "Okay, not that I care, but is something wrong?"

"I just don't like who I am. I don't want to be the hot, gossip queen with little to no trustworthy friends! I realized that I truly hate who I've become. I wasn't always this way you know."

He snorted, "Yeah sure Ino."

"You don't believe me?!" He voice rose in pitch.

Kiba grinned, "If you want someone to believe you then why don't you talk to Sakura?"

The line was silent for a while before she said, "Sakura and I had a bit of an argument."

Kiba frowned then said, "What about Tenten?"

"We don't get along well. She doesn't like that I'm openly boy crazy." Ino snorted.

Kiba chuckled at her response then asked, "What about Hinata then?"

"Scared of me."

"Naruto?"

"Be serious!"

"Sasuke?"

"That traitorous bastard can die for all I care!" She spat.

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden venom. "Okay... how about Shikamaru?"

Ino's voice took on a tone he didn't recognize. "Busy."

"Chouji?"

"He would tell Shikamaru and then Shikamaru would confront me about it. Then we would fight... yeah I don't really want to talk to him."

"And what makes you think I won't?"

"Because... I don't really wanna talk to you either."

"Then why call me?"

"I wanted to know if you wanna meet me at training ground 4 and train."

"Sure, but don't come whining to me when I beat you." To his surprise, Kiba found himself grinning.  
"You won't beat me."

"Yeah I will."

"No you won't!"

"Yeah I will."

"Wanna bet?"

"Wanna lose?" Kiba could feel her angry vibes through the phone.

"Training ground 4... be there in ten minutes... or else." Then Ino hung up.

Kiba looked at Akamaru who was scarfing down his bowl of dog food. "Think I should eat dinner before going?"

Akamaru barked and dashed out the door.

Kiba frowned, "What do you mean by it's your funeral?"


	3. So we drift apart

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: I love my Beta-reader, Becca. I also love reviews... so REVIEW!!

Ino sat there in wait. Kiba was late... by half an hour. She sniffed and rubbed her cold arms. It was 7:00 p.m., but already it was starting to get dark. Asuma would be stopping by her place soon, to check up on her. If she wasn't there then her entire team would be looking for her.

They had been doing so ever since she moved out of her parents house and started living on her own, this was almost a year ago. They thought they were being sneaky, but Ino had been on to them for 8 months now. First, Asuma would drop by and sneak around or would make up some excuse to come in. If he couldn't find her then he would call Chouji. Then Chouji would check her typical hang outs. If he couldn't find her, then he would call Shikamaru. Shikamaru would then, frantically, search for Ino everywhere. Whoever found her would then strike up a conversation and take her home. Ino tolerated it for awhile, it had even become a game for her, but tonight she couldn't be bothered by them.

If she was then Ino was pretty sure she'd go crazy. She didn't want to be a bitch or a screeching hag, but she really couldn't help it. It was ingrained in her mind and actions.

She suddenly felt herself being shoved out of the tree. She let out a shriek and rolled so, when she landed, she was facing her attacker. Ino blinked as she felt a large wet tounge slobber her. Laughter was bubbling up in her stomach and she instinctively growled, "Kiba! Get your mangy mutt off me!"

Akamaru whined and began to retreat. His ears perked up when Ino finally let out her laughter. Kiba walked over and sat down next to her. "You seem happier."

Ino's smile fadded and she said, "I guess you've all managed to crack the mask of this Busy Queen Bee."

Kiba's jaw dropped, "How did you-"

"My jutsu, stupid!" Ino slapped him lightly. "You all underestimate me. Since I am the Queen Bee, I know all that is going on in my little hive and the minds of all my minions! Besides your dog is bad at concealing his thoughts."

Kiba's silence made her shake with giggles. Did he truly think her the stereotypical blond? Well I suppose that it wasn't that far of a stretch. She did have the tendency to act stupid... and be stupid. But that was beside the point. Everyone had their moments. Ino hadn't even realized that she had let her thoughts envelope her facial expression until Kiba said, "If you frown then your face will stick that way."

Ino blinked then felt her face flush. She saw Kiba stiffen and start to lean away. She blinked again then she blushed harder when she realized that instead of being shy she would get pissed off. She hid her cheeks with her hands and smiled. She turned to show Kiba the grin. She said between gritted teeth, "This better?"  
Kiba burst out into peels of laughter. "Ino you look like an idiot," he howled, "The only thing missing is a dunce cap."

Ino got an evil grin then tackled him. Kiba tried to fend her off but it was useless. When ever he got his way Ino would flip the scales so that she was on top. Kiba growled and said, "Yo what you call me for? A quick tussel or to train?"

Ino paused then said, "A little of both I guess, but your right." She stood, "On a mental 5 count... ready?"

Kiba stood, "Ready."

They both counted; 1...2...3...4

Then Shikamaru burst into the clearing with an angry expression. Ino looked and growled. Shikamaru turned to Kiba and said, "Hinata wanted to talk to you, Kiba."

Kiba sighed. Ino gave him a desprate look. Kiba shook his head and ran off towards the Huuyga Compound. Ino gave a dark mutter.

Ino finally sighed and turned to him, "What do you want?"

"Let's go home now Ino. It's getting dark." Shikamaru turned to leave.

Ino stared at him. A tear fell down her cheek. "No."

He paused, "Pardon?"

"I said, no. I am not gonna go home right now."

He turned and said, "Be real Ino, where will you go at a time like this?"

"I dunno... I'll go to the library." She crossed her arms and let the familiar anger mold over her face. Sadness was a strange emotion to her. It had been so long since she let it take control of her and her life. She always opted for anger because no one knew how to deal with her sadness. She liked being predictable... but she hated not having friends.

"You know as well as I do that you don't like going to the library." Shikamaru said.

"That's not true! I love the library! I love the sent of the old scrolls and the colorful art that dot the walls. It seems so safe."

Shikamaru snorted, "Are you sick or something Ino?"

Ino shook her head and said, "No!"

"Then why are you acting like this?" He was starting to become frustrated with her.

She screamed, "I am being myself! You just don't understand! I overestimated you Shika! Your not smart at all! You are one numb minded, egotistical, jerk off who, in addition to all of that, can't keep his team mates alive!"

Shikamaru got a look on his face that terrified her, but she held the anger close to her chest to keep the fear from turning her cold. "Ino, that was uncalled for. You know that I try. Everything is chance! Something unexpected can happen at any turn! Not even my 200+ IQ can figure everything out! I can't come save your ass or be stuck worrying about you every minute of the damn day Ino!" By the end his volume had risen to exceed hers.

She raised her voice once more to shout, "Then don't."

The clearing went quiet. Only their breaths were heard. She was so deafened by the silence and shock of him yelling at her that she almost missed his words. "Fine, from now on don't expect me to come running to save your ass. My window will be shut so don't come running and disturb me." Then he turned and left.

She half expected him to come back a couple minutes later, when his anger had cooled down, but when he didn't she slid to her knees. Shika... was gone. She had lost her best friend. No she lost more then that. She lost a part of herself. Shikamaru and her were one being. To separate them was condemning them to a slow and painful demise. She heard sobs that choking in the air. She tried to look around but her vision was blurred so badly by tears and physical pain that she just saw green. Green was his color. She took in a large breath only to sob more when the smell of bark and dirt clogged her senses. This was his smell. The sent of the forest and deer. It all reminded her of the large piece that was missing from her now broken heart .Before she didn't have many friends, but she had always had the one most important to her. That was Shikamaru. She took in another breath and screamed her agony.

In a perfect world where everyone loved her, a really nice guy would walk up to her and make her feel better. He could fill that empty place in her heart. But this was not a perfect world and nobody loved her.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there but after a while she finally stood and walked out of the training ground. She had walked in only slightly cracked, but walked out shattered and hollow.


	4. And I am learning

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The jokes about O-Chul are in inside joke about Order of the Stick. It is a comic strip... look it up sometime. It's hilarious. The forums are wicked hilarious. I would also like to thank my wonderful Becca for Beta-Reading. She catches all my mistakes! She even corrects my weirdly formatted sentences.

In all honesty, Ino wasn't sure why she had even come. She knew Shikamaru wouldn't answer. She knew that he wouldn't open his window, that he would just ignore her standing outside of it. But in spite of that, she had come anyway. She had expected him to do all that, maybe to yell at her but never had she expected what she had seen.

He had that sand slut in his bedroom. They were just sitting there. Well not exactly. He was sleeping on her lap and she was reading something or another. Ino had looked in with a slight expression of horror. The slut, Temari, just looked up at her and rose an eyebrow. Ino had fled after that.

No, Temari wasn't a whore, but Ino thought it a good nickname. What could she say? She was a vindictive bitch who thought it very uncouth of Shikamaru to be with Temari. It had maybe been three days since the park incident and Ino had needed a friend. She had figured that even if he said he wouldn't save her, he would at least listen to her.

Ino was breathing heavily by the time that she got to her training ground. No she knew he wouldn't. Ino guessed she was just being selfish. Damn Kiba! He shouldn't have left them alone! No she couldn't blame him for this mess. Something good had come out of it after all- Kiba and Hinata had gotten together. Hinata was tired of waiting for Naruto and had kind of figured out that he would never get over Sakura.

Ino flipped open her phone, "Hey Kiba! Meet me at the training grounds." Then she hung up before Kiba could protest. Yeah she was selfish. She wouldn't deny it anymore. One can't change everything.

Kiba arrived minutes later. She launched at him with kick which he then dodged and counter attacked. She dodged that and went in to attack. The same pattern went on for their fight. Attack... dodge, counterattack... dodge, attack...

"Did you know that O-Chul has counted to infinity twice?" Kiba asked.

Ino laughed good heartedly and said, "Oh? Did you know that O-Chul has counted to Infinity twice starting at negative infinity using all imaginary numbers, rational and irrational numbers?"

"Did you know that O-Chul tried to kill himself but couldn't because he is impossible to kill?" Kiba threw a punch.

Ino dodged fluidly and did some handsigns. She created two other clones and went in for a combo attack. "O-Chul can't have because, he cannot be killed but also cannot fail at any task he does and the sheer force of this paradox would have destroyed the world."

Kiba fended them off and then was flung back into a tree truck where he slid down. "Ugh... You win."

Ino jumped around on her toes to keep her muscles from tensing. "Lets go

again."

"Ino..."

"Chicken?"

Kiba sighed and stood. He has collected more bruises within these few days then in three weeks of training with his team. At the same time he had grown closer to Ino and knew her better than most people who spent all their time around her.

...

Shikamaru yawned and looked at his phone. It was vibrating on the table and disrupting his precious sleep. Temari looked at him and said, "Aren't you gonna get that?"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "No... I don't feel like it." Temari raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed, "All right, I'll get it." He sat up and reached over. "Hello?"

"Please man I'm begging you! Just get over whatever it is you two are fighting over. She is killing me man!" Kiba's voice was frantic and pleading.

"What? Where are you? Is everything okay? Who's she?" Shikamaru furrowed his brows.

"SHE is Ino. No, not everything is okay. I'm at your training ground in absolute pain because she and I sparred. Come on man! What did you do this time? Every time something bad happens between you two she calls me out here and beats the shit out of me and Akamaru. She may not be very powerful but she knows how to hit where it will hurt. Not only that... she fights dirty!"

Shikamaru snorted, "No shit. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Fix things between you two!"

"Kiba, does Ino know your calling?"

"No. She just left to go get Sakura because Akamaru fell into a spear pit."

Shikamaru shook his head in slight disbelief. "There is nothing to fix Kiba. We're done with. She doesn't want me to come around anymore so I won't."

"Oh come-"

"No Kiba!" Shikamaru shouted into the phone.

Kiba was silent for a while and sighed, "All right man be miserable for all I care. I have to get back to my place before Garra and Naruto give Hinata a heart attack."

"What is Garra doing at your place?"

"Eh? Oh, he and Naruto have decided that us guys should go out without the ladies. You should come to if you're not to busy."

"I'm not to sure..."

"Oh come on! Are you so lazy that you will pass up the chance to go look at hot women dance? Maybe have a couple of drinks?"

"Kiba... we're taken."

"Hey, I said look. Its okay to look as long as you don't touch. Right?"

Shikamaru sighed. That was Kiba for you, always the dog. "I'll think about it."

"If you want to come with us just stop by before dark. We can wait till then I guess. Hehe... we're trying to find Garra a girl."

Shikamaru sighed, "Bye." He hung up and leaned back down in Temari's lap. "Hey Temari..."

"Yes?" Temari looked down at him.

"If you're here... and Garra is with Naruto and Kiba... then where is Kankuro?"

Temari smiled a little then said, "I'm not sure, but he sure has been wanting to see how well your Ino is fairing with her tricks. He seems convinced that his mind is more powerful then hers."

Shikamaru blinked. "Oh..."

Temari moved his head and stood up. "I have to go. Sakura invited me to the all girls thing." Temari sighed and muttered something about Konoha women being childish then said, "I'd best make my appearance."

Shikamaru sighed. Temari closed the door with a click and Shikamaru's mind went into deep thought. He sighed again and said, "I had best make my appearance as well."

...

Ino stumbled her way home. It was getting late and she felt miserable. Not only had Shikamaru abandoned her for some sand slut, but her so called 'friends' had gone and invited her. Ino didn't want to go anymore. Hinata would be the only one that cared anyhow, but Sakura could amuse her with the talk of medicine.

Her eyes spilled over with tears. She felt so alone again. She felt stupid too. Why had she let him go? She knew the answer to this. It was because she was feeling petty. Ino sunk to the ground and covered her eyes. She shouldn't be crying. In a perfect world she wouldn't be. In a perfect world she would be at that party with all the girls telling them how wonderful Shikamaru was. In a perfect world she wouldn't be working so hard to change herself to fit the standards of others. In a perfect world...

Ino felt warm hands on her shoulders, lifting her up and pulling her into a hug. Ino sniffled and cried harder. "A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be crying. It makes you look absolutely ugly." Ino looked up at the person hugging her and saw a man she long since thought to be her enemy.

Kankuro stared right back down at her and said, "You don't have the complexion to cry. You turn all red and puffy."

Ino's mind blanked and she struck out at him. Her hand stung from the impact and he brought a hand to his face. "Ouch... okay maybe I deserved that, but I was trying to make you stop crying."

"And you thought of this!" Her voice had become high pitched shrieks.

"It made you stop crying didn't it?"

Ino blinked. It had, hadn't it? She smiled at him her eyes showing the warmth she now felt. "Thank you."

Kankuro returned her smile with a grin of his own. Aside from being a tad creepy and a bit of a bully, he was really a nice guy. He wasn't hard on the eyes either, which was a plus. She just wished he would take off the robe and war paint in favor of something else entirely.

"How about we go someplace to grab some grub? I've been on the road all day and I am starving. I'll even pay." Kankuro said.

Ino nodded. It may not be a perfect world, but after she thought about it, Ino figured it was one she could live with.


	5. To let you go

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Thanks to Becca for being my beta. I have semester finals this week and I hate it. I should be studying, but I want to write. Who cares if I fail Chemistry right? Kidding, I won't fail. Another thing, the Ninja from rice country are made up. I don't keep up with the series enough to know any specific name. If it showed more on Team 10 or on Team 7 (not all the random filler that is about random new characters that no one cares about, filler is great but if it is team 7, 8, or 10 centric) or Team Gai or if the plot became more interesting. Instead, all my favorite characters are being killed off! So unfair...

...

Ino Yamanaka is a pain in the ass. And she knows it. But does she let that get in the way of what she really wants? Not anymore!

Ino smiled and examined herself in the full length mirror. She was going out to catch a man and no one, not even that Kankuro was gonna stop her. _'That irritating and rude man has no right to treat me the way he does.'_ That angry thought rann through her mind along with the caution not to dwell on it lest it ruin her night. Ino was too psyched about it to let it be ruined however. Naruto had promised to introduce her to a couple of ninja he had befriended in Rice Country. It would be herself, Naruto, Kiba, Hinata and Choji. They were going to an underground Konoha nightclub, exclusively for ninjas. It was a relief. They didn't have to hid all the important crap civilians couldn't know about. They would have to be careful around Non-Konoha ninja, but that was fine.

A dark blue dress adorned her body. It wasn't flashy, but instead it was very fun. The bodice shimmered with a material that was silky but sparked like diamonds. It trailed down in lines through the skirt, layering around the bottom that caused it to have a variety of lengths. The longest it reached was her mid calf and the shortest being mid thigh. Sakura had given it to her as a joke about how promiscuous Ino could be. Ino grinned, she would show them how wrong they were. She wasn't promiscuous, oh no, Ino considered herself to be very practical and classy. Maybe not when they were preteens, but she was an adult now.

Ino looked at herself in the mirror. Something wasn't right. She had the perfect dress, she wore just the right amount of makeup, not so much that she had raccoon eyes, but it was still obvious that she was wearing some. And her high heels matched her dress and they were the dainty kind that were strapped on by thin material. "Hey, Daddy!"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Come here and tell me why I don't look right!"

"Alright, I'm coming, but I'll warn you now- the food will probably burn." Inoichi went up the stairs and looked at Ino. "Oh Princess, you look beautiful. Any guys I should look out for?"

Ino laughed, "Not yet Daddy, soon hopefully. But seriously, It doesn't look right!"

Inoichi frowned and came up behind her. Looking at their image critically, he reached out and pulled the ponytail out of her hair. Her hair cascaded down her back to rest there. Ino looked panicked for a moment before taming it. Her voice held the same panic though, "I look like a kid trying to play dress up."

Inoichi pulled a butterfly clip out of a drawer and clipped it in her hair. He kissed her on the head, "You don't see yourself properly at all, my princess. Not even a very rich, very handsome king would be worth enough to have you."

Ino looked at her father and felt herself tear up. Why had she been so annoyed with him when she was younger? All he did was give her complements and pleasant criticism. "Daddy, you're embarrassing me! I'm not that good. I would settle for anyone at this point."

"Don't do that. If you do, then you will never be happy. Look for someone who challenges you and makes you feel like your going to go crazy. If you do that then you could never fail. Because often the ones who make you crazy are the ones you truly love. You just have to look deep inside to find it sometimes." Inoichi stared into his daughters eyes, hoping that she would take his advice. "I am here to make sure you make the right choice. It's why I'm so hard on men who are close to you. What about the Nara kid?"

"The Nara kid, just so happens to be your best friends son. You should know his name by now. And Shikamaru," she looked away from her father's gaze, "is already with someone. She's pretty, and strong and more even tempered then I. I can see why he likes her. Also she always has this air of mystery. Shikamaru likes to solve puzzles. She is just the one he is looking for."

"If he likes puzzles then why hasn't he figured out the one closest to him yet?" Inoichi had narrowed his eyes trying to read his daughter's mind.

"I'm not much of a puzzle. He already knows all about me. We've been friends since we were born, almost." Ino wiped under her eyes to make sure that the few tears that leaked didn't make her mascara run. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, I'm gonna be late."

Inoichi sighed then made some hand signs and poofed downstairs. "Here is your food. Oh hey my soap opera is on!"

Ino shook her head in disgust. Her father watch sitcoms and tended to flowers and was very sentimental. Her mother was the one who like to build things and fix things. Her family was screwed up. Ino took the stairs at a run and almost fell, but she reached the table in a mater of minutes. She picked up the burned grilled cheese with a grimace. She would have to wash her hands and brush her teeth again. Oh well, hunger beats all.

...

Outside a warehouse sat Naruto, Kiba, Hinata and Choji. They were waiting for Ino, who was late, as usual. Kiba turned to Naruto and was gonna suggest that they go inside and ditch Ino when smoke filled the vicinaty. They readied themselves for battle, but when the smoke cleared. Ino was there with her arms crossed and looking very upset. "Dad made me chase him around the house while holding my purse hostage. Then he makes me promise not to bring any guys home." She shook her head. "I'm a full grown woman why won't he let me take care of myself?"

Hinata giggled and said quietly, "He's a good father to do such a thing. He must know you well too."

Ino nodded and said, "You have no idea." She hooked arms with Hinata, who wore black slacks and a purple long sleeved top, no jacket. They walked to the en trace laughing.

Kiba turned to Naruto and said, "Wow... that women must really thrive in this if she is confident enough to wear that."

Naruto nodded. Choji shrugged, "Ino has always been like this. She has style and charm."

Naruto snorted, "Charm? Please Choji, Ino is annoying not charming."

C

hoji shrugged, "You haven't seen her at her best. When she really wants something, she does anything to get it. Almost to the point of stupidity."

Naruto stood and brushed himself off. He was wearing a similar outfit to the one that his father, Minato, wore except the theme was black with orange flames. "Lets party!"

Kiba stood and hollered in agreement. Choji simply raised his bag of chips and the boys ran after the girls.

...

The atmosphere in the club was one of many people who aren't used to having fun. In other words it was too mild for her. Ino looked around and decided to heat things up. She marched over to the DJ and said, "Lets spice things up around here."

He nodded and flipped another disc into place. Faster paced dance music came through the loud speakers and Ino walked to the middle of the dance floor. She glanced at the other ninja who were just staring at her and she smirked. _'Guess I'm dancing alone tonight.'_ Ino danced her heart out and soon others began to join in. She kept dancing till the entire dance floor was full of the people she knew and loved so much. She walked over to the bar and ordered a soda. The man had laughed at her, but she gave him a glare that shut him up.

After she got her drink she went and sat down with the group she came in with. Naruto was chatting excitedly with three other ninja; Two male and one female. Hinata was nearly being mauled by Kiba, but Ino could tell that Hinata loved it. Ino leaned on the table and looked at the new ninja. "Hi I'm Ino!"

The female nodded and said, "I am Shushina and this is Haru and Sakashi."

Ino nodded, in her mind she was thinking, _'Why are none of the ninja I meet ever cute? On second thought none of the men I date are cute.'_ She looked at them and smiled, "I just came over to get my friends to come dancing with me," she directed her sentence at said friends. "But thats cool if you all want to just chill here."

Kiba stopped and looked at Ino for a few seconds before it registered in his brain what she had been saying. "Oh yeah me and Hinata would love to come dance. See ya later Naruto." Naruto nodded and went back to his original conversation.

Ino led them to the middle of the dance floor and grabbed Hinata. "You're dancing with me first!"

"Can't I dance with both of you?" Ino had to read her lips hear her over the music.

Kiba said, "No way Hinata! You're with me! You and Ino can have 'girl time' tomorrow or something."

Hinata looked at Ino, who nodded, then said, "Okay Kiba. Hey I-ino I bet some people will come to dance with you a little bit later. Or m-maybe you can pick someone up at the b-bar. The guys are all staring at you."

Ino smiled and said, "Okay Hinata. Have a fun time." Then she made her way over to the bar. And sat down next to a familiar figure. "Hello Neji."

Neji looked at her and nodded. "Ino..."

"What's up? How's life as Jounin?"

"It is challenging..."

Ino gasped and said, "Oh my god, don't tell me that THE Neji, prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, thinks being a Jounin is hard!"

Neji and looked over and said, "You would know the answer to your original question if you stopped being such a lousy ninja and trained more. Perhaps if you had spent more time proving yourself to the Hokage you would BE a Jounin by now."

Ino's smile disappeared and she looked down. Of course Neji couldn't take a joke and now she was kicking herself in the ass because he was right. "Yeah, Okay Neji. Do me a favor and tell Naruto I went home?"

Neji looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Why are you going home?"

Ino looked at him and said, "Because you're right, there is no reason why I'm not a Jounin right now, except for the fact that I'm down right lazy and not cut out to be a ninja. I'm going home to train."

Neji nodded as Ino got off of her stool and he said, "Be careful not to push yourself to hard Ino. I know that lap around the school yard is really hard for you."

Ino glared at him, "Fuck you Neji. On second thought have Tenten go fuck you with a kunai."

The spotlight shown on her and the DJ said, "And here is our beautiful lady luck! How about you come up here so we can tell you the rules of the game, since you probably weren't listening." Ino let out a strained smile and made some hand signs. The entire room seemed to tense, but she simply laughed at them all and appeared on stage in a puff of smoke. The DJ nodded and said, "Okay to clarify the rules everyone. This lovely lady will be blindfolded then will go and dance. The first person she dances an entire song with will be allowed to kiss her. How does that sound?" There were a bunch of catcalls and whistling from the majority of men in the club.

The blindfold was placed around her eyes and she was led to where she assumed the dance floor was. Ino began to sway to the music and was immediately passed between dancers. When one got a little too close or shy she would be whisked away. It seemed that she was passed around a million times before someone place a gentle hand on her back. The crowd finally seemed to back off once she was in the arms of the owner of said hand. The music was fast yet her partner danced slowly with her. She immediately felt herself drop into a lull so she leaned into his chest and allowed him to just hold her. The music ended and a gentle kiss was dropped onto her lips. A gasp of delight escaped her lips. She reached up and pulled the blindfold of to see who it had been, but the person was gone leaving nothing but questions in his wake. She turned when she heard her name called.

Hinata dashed to her side with the Naruto and Kiba in tow. "I-ino are you alright?"

Ino nodded mutely.

"Your not hurt or anything are you?" Naruto looked at her wildly as if looking for some unseen injury.

Ino shook her head in confusion.

Kiba's voice was tense when he said, "Are you sure? You looked so scared when they started passing you around! We tried to get to you, but the crowd was too thick."

Ino's mouth creased in anger. "I am NOT scared. I never was! If anything I felt a little indignant. I'm going home to go train. Maybe go get a mission. I'm a little low on funds."

Hinata said, "If you need money, Ino, I- I can give it to you!"

Ino shook her head then frowned at a thought. "Where's Choji?"

She cocked her head to the side then said, "He ran into Sh-shikamaru and some people from s-sand. He is... was... with them, but now I can't see them. They probably left."

Ino did a mental face palm and thought _'great... Shikamaru will have seen the fiasco on the dance floor. If Kiba saw me as a frightened damsel in distress then Shikamaru will have too! FUCK! I don't want that. He has to see I can take care of myself.'_ She nodded and said, "Okay, thats sad, I really wanted to talk to Choji. I haven't seen him in a while. Maybe I'll take him out to barbecue or something."

Kiba frowned, "I thought you were low on funds."

Ino did another mental face palm and then said, "Oh yeah. Well that means I will simply have to work my butt off to get enough money for rent AND to take Choji out to eat."

Hinata gave her a gentle look then said, "Are you sure you don't need-"

"No thanks Hinata. I gotta go. I'm going to sleep then wake up early, train, then get some kind of mission." Ino ran a hand through her hair then frowned, "Ick, my hair is still down." She put it up in her high ponytail then said, "I'll see you all later."

They nodded and watched her walk out, each of them with a look of worry that all varied to different degrees.

...

Cold air bombarded Ino's hot body and she shivered. She looked up at the sky, it was dark out and the stars shown brighter then anything in the sky. Wait, no, the moon was brighter. It was like quick silver in a pool of oil. She covered her arms and began her walk back home.

As she got to the front of her apartments voices stopped her in her tracks. She hid behind a building and peaked out. Shikamaru and Choji were with Temari and Gaara outside of her front door. They looked like they were just gonna wait there for her. She inwardly swore. She calculated the distance to her bedroom window and wondered if she would make it.

"According to her father, Ino is changing a lot, she eats, but just barely enough to sustain herself. She constantly is at the training yards doing nothing but working herself to death. Inoichi has had to go several times to find her. He finds her passed out and covered in bruises and completely out of chakra. Kiba says she has advanced in skill, but has become even more irrational. Sakura hasn't heard from her since the time in the flower shop when she and Shizune went to inform her of the girls thing and that was three months ago! She has completely locked herself up and the only person she sees on a regular basis is Kiba and herself, when she bothers to look in the mirror." Choji said.

Temari frowned, "She didn't go to the girls thing. Kankuro said that they both went out to eat or something along those lines. She and Kankuro run into each other pretty regularly. They just end up fighting though. It's no surprise that Ino never mentioned my brother to Kiba."

Shikamaru yawned, "Why are we discussing this again?"

"Because we're worried about her." Temari said harshly. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Ino is not the type of person one can leave alone. She is a social creature that needs companionship." Choji sounded like he was trying to persuade Shikamaru of something. What that something was, Ino had no clue. Shikamaru was smart, but stubborn. He refused to even nibble at the bait Choji was feeding him.

Gaara spoke up at this point and said, "Ino is a ninja, a very good ninja. She can adapt to all situations."

"But Gaara did you see her out there?" Temari sounded desperate.

"Yeah, Ino looked so helpless! She looked absolutely terrified! Shikamaru you have to have seen it." Choji looked at the two other men.

"It was a trap. She winds you in with her helplessness then saps everything from you." Shikamaru said this without even blinking.

The group was quiet. Ino's eyes filled with tears. Is this what Shikamaru really thought of her? He too saw her as a fake. She lowered her head and closed her eyes briefly to calm herself. When she looked up Gaara was looking right at her, "Our brother has found her. There is no need to worry now."

Ino turned to look behind her and there was Kankuro leaning against a wall with an intent look on his face. "He's good, huh? I was wondering when you would notice me."

A rush of blood colored her face red and she said defiantly, "I knew you were there the entire time!"

Kankuro walked forward with that same look of intent and said, "Lying is a bad habit. Especially when the lie is obvious." He was only a few inches from her at this point.

Her head was fuzzy and everything seemed to disappear and turn to smudges of color. The smell of the dessert assaulted her nose and set her body on fire. She backed up a little bit and her back hit the wall. Kankuro smirked and put his hands in his pocket. All Ino saw was his face. Every detail engraving itself into her mind.

"Wipe that smirk off your face asshole." She tried for the anger, but her heart wasn't into it. She felt like someone had drugged her and cast an illusion on her at the same time.

His smirk grew wider as he leaned forward putting his lips almost touching her ear, "You're drooling."


	6. He has found me

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Thank you Becca, my wonderful beta, I am certain that without you I would not have as many fans! And thank you to the reviewers who wrote to me. Your support is loved! I need it to get through Finals. Ick!!! :P

* * *

She blinked then scowled and pushed him away yelling, "Jackass!" Then she marched around the corner up to her front door. Pushed through the four in front of her house, Ino grabbed the key from her bra and opened the door in a fit of anger.

"Hello Ino." Shikamaru's voice broke through her cloud of anger, calming her and making her sad again.

She stopped in the doorway and said, "Hey Shika."

"Gaara needs to talk to you." Shikamaru sounded so indifferent that she wanted to cry.

"Yeah okay, let me get some tea on the stove. Make yourselves at home."

Ino walked in with a heavy heart that quickly evaporated into one of disbelief. Her living room was a mess! Bottles of sake were everywhere, her couch cushions were tossed about, her couch was knocked over not to mention the unknown gunk on her walls! And Inoichi, Shikaku and Choza were sitting in the middle of it being idiots and playing patty cake. Ino's face contorted into rage and she screamed, "DADDY! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HOUSE!"

"Nothing princess! Nothing that can't be fixed. We simply had a couple drinks and-"

"A COUPLE! A couple drinks wouldn't have you so drunk that you can't see straight enough to play patty cake. A couple drinks wouldn't even make you tipsy! Clean this shit up or I will call mom."

Shikaku spoke up in his friends defense, "Now Ino-"

"I'll call your wife too mister! Now all three of you start cleaning! How can I entertain the Kazekage in a mess like this?" Ino's nerves were already wound tight as a spring! Did she not deserve to at least come home to a clean house with a sane family? Scratch that, with out her family?

Choza took a swig of his drink and murmured, "There's always your bedroom."

The entire room went dead silent. Ino began to hyperventilate then attacked Choza. "You stupid perverted man! I don't care that your dads team mate! Do you think me that much of a whore that I would give myself freely before marriage? SHAME ON YOU!" Every word was puncuated by an attack. Shikamaru and Choji ran forward to restrain the rabid Ino.

...

Kankuro looked at the scene with amusement. Ino was putting up one hell of a fight. She was screaming at Choza and had already freed herself from Shikamaru and Choji. Her father tried to interfere but was to drunk to do anything, but cheer her on along with Shikaku. What an idiot. Wasn't he supposed to be discouraging her?

Ino had proved him wrong. He had been so worried in the club when those disgusting men were tossing her around and each trying to get a piece of her. It had infuriated him! Now it was obvious to see that she was going to be just fine.

He looked at Ino's attacks on Choza as they got progressively worse. It had gone from hitting him with a pillow to hitting him with a chair. If Choza had not been a trained ninja the blows probably would have crippled him. Kankuro chuckled. Ino had plenty of spunk and thats what Kankuro liked about her. Only a few times had he seen her vulnerable, but even those times hadn't disturbed his view on her because they had been reasonable. It wasn't as if she was crying simply to cry or get her way. He liked it when she was happy and it was obvious that Ino was VERY happy to be angry. If others didn't like that then they shouldn't enrage her. Of course then again he had to admit that maybe he would change his mind if the anger was directed at him.

Garra looked at him in some strange glee. Then he said, "Shall we stop her? He is really just a harmless old man. Why should she be allowed to injure him?"

Kankuro looked thoughtful, "Yeah I geuss. Hey Ino! If you wont take Garra to your bed, what about me?"

Ino looked shocked then turned. He grinned at her. She let out a raging shriek and leapt at him. "WHAT PART OF 'NOT UNTIL I'M MARRIED' CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?"

Kankuro laughed and fended her off easily. Her dress made it all the more easier because it was obvious that she was being encumbered by the fabric. She suddenly stopped and took a deep shuddering breath. "I must have forgotten my manners. Oh yes I was supposed to get tea." She turned and walked into the kitchen.

Shikaku said, "It really isn't fair to do jutsu on your daughter like that."

Inoichi said grandly, "But she would have killed this fine boy whom, I would like to say, may make a very decent son-in-law." He sank into his daughters carpet with a smug smirk on his face and Kankuro's mind went blank.

"OW!!! INO!!! YOUR BOYFRIEND HIT ME!" They could hear Ino's giggles from the kitchen.


	7. I remember us and her

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
A/N:Thank you Becca, for being my Beta. And thank you Shubaltz Crazist and Lives-In-2D for being moral support and faithful reviewers. I hope you all like it as much as you say you do. Here is an extra long chapter. It doesn't feature Kankuro, but don't worry. He's in the next one... maybe. Sand Village does have its own problems you know. Kankuro can't always be in Leaf Village. Garra does need him to do stuff.  
Enjoy! :D

[EDIT] It has come to my attention that the origianal chapter 7 was too frangemented so I split it up into two chapters. What was originally going to be chapter 8 is now chapter 9.

* * *

The mission wasn't going well at all. Ino had woken up the night after the party with a terrible headache, probably from stress, which still lingered. She had gone straight from her house, after she kicked out her father, to the Hokage's office to get this mission. It was a simple C rank, or at least it was supposed to be. She was to go with a group of Genin and their leader to rice country and escort the three visiting ninja back to their country. The foreign ninja were fun and amused the kids. She had befriended them, but at the last minute they turned on her team. One kid was killed, the other two were struggling to stay alive and their Jounin leader was trying to be everywhere at once.

Ino dodged behind a rock, deflecting kunai. What made things worse was, when she tried to help and get closer the enemy simply pushed her back. One of the kids darted to her side and she focused healing chakra to her hands.

The kid almost reminded her of a mix between her and Choji. Rosy cheeks, a lust for food, and a kind smile mixed with a thin body and a loud boisterous voice. Ino and him had really bonded, though right now she couldn't remember his name, perhaps it was for the best.

She had known that at any point a teammate could die. But it had never hit her quite hit her until Choji almost died in the hospital. She had been so concerned with her looks and catching Sasuke that she never realized how much her team had meant to her, how much she loved them.

Shikamaru had been her first friend and her first love. He was one day older then her and a hundreds times smarter, thus envied him for it, but she couldn't deny that he had swept her off her feet. Their fathers were hoping to unite the two families and had almost succeeded.

"_Shika! Shika!" Ino was five and it was Shikamaru's birthday. He had fled to his backyard to escape the party, but she refused to be left behind._

"_What is it you troublesome girl?" He glanced over his shoulder as his short haired stalker followed him._

"_Shika! Wait!" She tripped over a tree root and squeaked. Dirt was flung up into the air by the impact. Ino sat up and looked at her hands. They were scraped and her new purple pants had holes in the knees. Tears began to build up in her eyes. They fell at a fast rate, but she refused to make more of a sound then a whimper every now and then._

_Shikamaru walked over sighing, "Stupid girl. How are you going to be a ninja if you can't even take a fall. Ha! How are you gonna be a ninja if you can't even catch up with me?"_

_Ino looked up her lips trembling. "Its all your fault Shikamaru! If you had waited like I asked then this wouldn't have happened!" She yelled at him startling the deer nearby, causing them to panic and stampede away._

_Ino gasped and Shikamaru flung himself over her. She hugged her knees, squeezing her eyes closed tight. "Shika..." She whispered. _

_His breath was warm on her ear as he whispered, "Its okay Ino. I wont let them hurt you." It was then her love for him bloomed from brother-sister love into something else._

_The ground ceased to shake and they could hear Inoichi calling out for them. Ino looked up at Shikamaru with questions burning in her eyes. He looked down at her, in return, and place a gentle kiss on her nose. A gasp escaped through her lips. They heard both of the clans calling out for their heirs. Ino blinked and straightened, "Its okay Daddy! Shikaku-san! We're okay!" _

_Inoichi and Shikaku landed in front of them. Shikamaru had moved to lean against a tree, even as a child he was lazy and bored all the time. Inoichi picked up Ino, "Are you sure, Princess? You're not hurt?"_

_Ino looked at her hands and said, "I tripped, then yelled at Shikamaru because he wasn't waiting for me. But he made it all better by making sure the deer didn't hurt us. I'm okay Daddy. Really!"_

_Inoichi shook his head then said, "Well you're lucky that Shikamaru is your knight in shining armor. I don't know what I would do if my little girl got hurt." He turned to Shikamaru and gave a small bow. "I am very much indebted to you."_

_Shikamaru thought a minute then said, "Good. Then you can get her Highness out of my sight." Inoichi's jaw dropped and Shikaku laughed good naturedly. Her father took it to mean Shikamaru didn't like Ino at all, but she knew better._

_Inoichi turned to leave and she mouthed, "Happy birthday, Shika."_

_Shikamaru smiled at her and she felt her heart melt. To hide the oncoming blush, she buried her face in her fathers neck. She was clumsy only around Shikamaru._

Ino's parents watched as the relationship between Shikamaru and Ino prospered until it was impossible to separate them. They talked on the phone and when he was having family problems she always snuck out to the park and met him there. They would talk for hours, cuddled up with each other in a blanket, and stare at the stars.

She was certain he loved her too. At least, he did until they started academy. They grew farther apart, not by choice, but because of the different training. One day, when an older kid was kicking dirt up in her face and pulling her hair, which had grown out to shoulder length, he didn't help her. No one did. He turned his head away to look at a butterfly on the tree trunk, afraid to get hurt. When her knight didn't come and rescue her, her heart turned cold, almost to stone.

Letting our a furious scream, she had fought like a mad woman to get the kid off her. After he backed off, she still refused to let him off the hook. She kicked and punched, showing off the skills she had been honing since that fall on Shikamaru's 6th birthday. It was her turn to be the tormentor and she was until he cried for mercy. She had been tempted to keep on beating him, but she didn't want to look like the bully. So instead she held out her hand to help him up.

The boy refused her hand. She didn't know who he was, but he didn't come to academy after that. Rumor said he was thrown out. She liked that rumor and she liked the reputation she was getting. So she nursed it, watching in glee as it got bigger. Shikamaru disappeared from her radar, only showing up on special occasions. It got lonely. She didn't have another friend until Sakura.

She had truly just wanted the mean bully to leave Sakura alone because the bully was just too annoying. But that was the stem from which her relationship with Sakura grew. They became best friends quickly and Ino helped Sakura the best she could.

_Ino was trying to explain the theory behind Genjutsu when Sakura said, "Ino? Why do the other girls giggle when they look at the boys?"_

_A smile appeared onto her face, "Thats because they have crushes on them."_

"_Whats a crush?"_

"_Silly, Its when a girl decides that they like a boy." Ino replied._

"_Do you have a crush on anyone Ino?" _

_Ino thought a minute. Dare she say she had a crush on Shika? No, she loved Shikamaru. It wasn't the same. "No."_

"_Oh... If you did who would it be?"_

"_What?"_

_Sakura grinned at her. The timidness was slowly disappearing thanks to Ino's continous efforts. "Well... who do you think is cutest?"_

"_Oh... well why didn't you say so in the first place? Hmm... well... Kiba is okay looking but the cutest one is Sasuke."_

"_Why?"_

_Ino looked up to the sky thinking, oblivious to Shikamaru listening in on their conversation. "Well, he... he just is. He is cute. I can't much explain it more then that. Why all this talk about boys, Sakura?"_

_Sakura blushed and said, "I... I just wanted to know what you thought."_

_Ino looked at her strangley, "Okay. That's weird, Sakura! We don't have time to think about boys! We are gonna be ninja!" She threw a fist in the air which accentuated her joyful yelp. Glory was just within her reach she could feel it! She looked at Sakura. She was a bud still, but a little love and tender care would transform her friend into a beautiful flower. Even more beautiful then a Cosmo flower. It wasn't a joke when she had said it, thats what she truly thought. While Sakura bloomed, she would stand right beside her and help fend off the pests._

_Sakura just smiled weakly before making an excuse to go home. Ino shook her head lovingly. "My pretty little Sakura."_

"_The life of a ninja will destroy her prettiness." Shikamaru was leaning against a tree._

_Ino spun in surprise. It took her a few moments to figure out who it was. "No, it won't." Ino refused to believe that. She stuck out her chin saying, "Haven't you heard, dead bodies underneath a cherry tree stains its blooms and makes it more beautiful."_

_Shikamaru closed his eyes then said, "Yes, but then you have to worry about whether or not the tree will rot."_

"_Just don't stick a poisoned body underneath it."_

_Shikamaru glared, "But it can't be helped most times. The day will come when you put too many dead bodies under the tree and Sakura will wilt and die. The only thing left being a dead tree, a shell, to mark her passing."_

_Ino shook her head in denial, "No. Sakura is stronger then that! And I will be there to help her!"_

"_What if she pushes you away? You can't always be there for her Ino. They never put more then one Kunoichi on a team and you will be with me and Choji. Team Shika-Ino-Cho, just like our fathers."_

_Ino glared, "Sakura is my best friend! She would never do that!" Then she turned and ran all the way home._

Even though Shikamaru warned her, she was still surprised when a year or two later Sakura pushed her away and denounced their friendship. Ino didn't care about Sasuke. He was cute, that was it! Why let him ruin their friendship? She didn't want to be Sakura's rival! But she looked into Sakura's eyes and realized it was the only way her fragile little bud would grow to become strong enough to withstand the poison of killing. It was the only way she could help her beloved friend to bloom. So she agreed.

They heard Sasuke loved long hair. So Sakura and Ino grew out their hair, but Ino didn't like it. She put it in a low ponytail, but then it got to long, in her way. So she put it in a high ponytail. Sakura kept it down to spite her.

Sakura was always more obsessed even though Ino prided herself on being head of his fan club. It wasn't until they got into Iruka's class that Ino really started to get into the game. She began to eat less and study less. She became louder, trying to get Sasuke's attention. For her it had never been a constest to get Sasuke, but to outshine Sakura. Soon she lost sight of her true purpose and began to become the pest she had promised to help Sakura fight against. Shikamaru wanted nothing to do with her now, but she sat with him anyway, wanting with all her soul for him to love her.

Ino's mind came back to the battle quickly. Peaking over the rock she saw the Jounin losing strength. These ninja were obviously S level if they beat her team down so easily. The woman -did she say her name was Sushina?- was obviously the leader.

Ino began to think quickly and muttered, "Kami, Shika... what a time to ditch me." The kid looked at her -Jinkinimi or something like that- his face asked if she was crazy. She closed her eyes briefly to concentrate. "Hey kid. Think you can watch my body? Maybe I can fix this."

The kid -she had to find a better nickname for him- nodded with a spark of curiosity in his eyes. Ino grinned and the boy gasped, "Yamanaka Jutsus!"

She nodded and stood up aiming her Mind Transfer Jutsu at Sushina and left her body just as Jink -yes that was a adequate nickname- screamed in agony. Ino fell to her knees, her head lolling down. A dark shadow passed over her and its owner, a man, said, "Bag her up. Burn the others."

"Yes sir!"


	8. I'm home!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
A/N:Thank you Becca for being my Beta. And thank you Shubaltz Crazist and Lives-In-2D for being moral support and faithful reviewers. Also I would like to thank I Like Agnst for pointing out a short fall of mine. I hope splitting the chapter helped. And I hope you all like it as much as you say you do.  
Enjoy! :D

* * *

Ino awoke later her headache the worse its ever been. She reached up to clutch at her head, but found that she couldn't due to the chains binding her hands to a ring on the floor. Lifting herself up she looked around squinting. It was dark, but she could make out the semblance of a civilians jail cell. She clutched at her head whimpering in pain. As she soon figured out, due to spending quite a few days in the cell, the headache was always worse when she woke up.

She guessed five days had gone by. She never saw who got her food or water and thus craved any social contact, never getting it. She began to talk to herself about anything and everything, but she never cared to remember what she was saying. Whenever she tried to get out of her bonds she always got a headache and passed out, so Ino didn't try anymore. Silence was her only companion other then her own voice. She leaned her head against a wall really wishing for a bath. Remembering a mind exercise Shikamaru taught her, she closed her eyes.

She had never been good at it because she could never get the thoughts out of her head or the itch in her leg to stop. Shikamaru gave up on her, or had she given up on him? Ha! Probably both.

She focused on one thing, just as he said. Imagining a hot bath with soothed the ache in her head until it and the image was gone. Time passed. Slowly? Rapidly? Who knew? She thought of nothing. She felt nothing. When she opened her eyes, realization that ultimate peace had found her made her lips twitch upwards. Giggles filled the air. No wonder Shika was always so unworried. It was a fantastic feeling! Nothing worried her and she could think straight now.

She looked at her hands. The smile faded from her lips and became a deep frown. The chains where complex and just barely allowed room for her hands to move. The key hole was tiny, barely visible. Her eyes had grown used to the dark by now, but even so she couldn't see the lock. How would she get out?

Movement of a spider crawling up her legs caught her eyes. Giggles once more filled the empty jail. She was so white she glowed in the dark, Wow! The spider scurried away from her leg and across the floor until it rested only a finger's length away.

Her hands slowly began to form the familiar hand signs of the Mind Trasfer Jutsu. Soon she was tiny, she saw her own body and froze in fear. She was scary! People had told her such, but she never thought it was true! It might have something to do with the several eyes on her face though. Was it even a face? She crawled forward, the movement of eight legs coming naturally from within the body, and climbed up the chain peering into the lock. Memorizing the inside, Ino-spider crawled away. When she expelled herself she felt a brief moment of triumph.

The clan always told her not to try and be a non-human because it was dangerous. They said she would get lost. She scoffed at them now.

She bent down her head to her hands, her hair screening the movements of the bobby-pin in her hand. She unlocked the cuffs, but didn't move because she heard the quiet footsteps of a trained assassin.

"You are such a pretty little thing. The perfect playtoy. Lets just keep up your strength, alright love?"

"Yes, sir." The words came unbidden to her mouth and her mind became hazy. 'What the hell was that? Stupid Ino, stop it!' a voice in the back of her head scolded her.

"Will you tell me now where Naruto is?" The man asked softly. Like a lover who was begging.

"No, sir. Sorry sir." Again, the words came unwanted to her lips. Her voice had a tone of true regret. Her heart felt like it was cracking. She mentally wrestled for conscious control of her mouth, not liking the sudden loss.

The man chuckled and, reaching into the cell, stroked her hair while putting down a tray of food. "You sure are a loyal one. Now be a good girl and eat it all. Don't try starving yourself. You are too useful for that."

"Yes, sir." This time, she made sure she was the one saying it. It was obviously the right response because he gave a grunt of approval. She tried to feel what the man was thinking, but her head began to ache. She cut off that contact right away and the headache stopped.

The man walked away and she looked at the food. Chocolates and pastries filled the plate. She reached forward to eat one, but thought better of it and pocketed a few samples instead. Maybe there was something in here Lady Tsunade or Shizune would want to analyze. She stood cringing at the weakness in her legs. She did a few stretches and jumped up and down a few times. She walked over to the lock and after a minute of wiggling it around, the door swung open. After that, it wasn't hard to sneak through the hallways and out, even if it unnerved her how easy it was.

She was still in rice country. She looked around, her eyes hypersensitive to the dark and stole away from the poor town she had been kept captive in, murmuring a thank-you prayer that no-one was around.

...

It took her a week traveling only at night get back and that was at full speed. It had been pretty uneventful except for the times she had to hide, her heart pounding. She wouldn't go back. She didn't know what had happened, but it wasn't good. And that town had a ghostly feel to it. She was in no hurry to return.

Soon the gates were in view, but she felt like a criminal. So she climbed up the wall and hopped over. Nothing had changed in Konoha, -had she truly expected it to?- the bars were lit up and quiet laughter of couples filled the air. Making her way through the village she took note of each rock and cranny. Why hadn't she noticed all this before? Her head felt light, like she was walking on a cloud. She heard no voices in her head which disturbed her. No she wasn't crazy, it was normal for her to hear people!

She did a few other hand signs and things returned to normal in her mind. She could hear Jiriya plotting his next book, the bartender was thinking of his daughter and the millions of other people in town dreamed quietly. It was a technique she had developed that allowed her to hear the surface of the thoughts around her. It took up quite a bit of chakra and it wasn't perfect yet, but she was working on it. It started with just her and her team, so she could hear the mental signals from her team mates. It had then developed into being able to communicate to her teammates if absolutely necessary.

She could hear Shikamaru pondering the stars and making terrible poetry in his head, comparing them to Temari. Ino almost cried with relief. Who cares if he was thinking about Temari, she had missed him so much. He was like the air she breathed, she couldn't live without him!

Ino felt herself falling, but didn't react in time to catch herself. She layed there, in an alleyway not three blocks from her house, for a few minutes just listening to Shikamaru's thoughts. It had drifted to village affairs. According to him Hinata and Kiba were going to become an old married couple, Naruto was destined to be alone, Choji was going to die of a heart attack, Team Gai -minus Gai- were all in love with each other and Gaara needed a girlfriend. Ino chuckled tiredly, almost allowing herself to be lulled asleep by his mindless musings.

After a few minutes more, Ino weakly moved her hands to form the sign that would give her the ability to communicate with him. _**'Shika?'**_

_**'Oh Ino, it's you. Back from your mission? The Jounin sent a message saying you all were staying in Rice Country for a while longer.'**_ Ino didn't catch him trying to get information.

_**'No... he was wrong. I can explain later, but Shika? Will you do me a favor?'**_

_**'No.'**_

Ino sucked in a breath. Surely he wasn't still angry with her. Was it sarcasm? Maybe he was bitter? His mind was silent to her even though she pushed to hear what he was thinking, but he was clever. He wasn't thinking anything except singing happy birthday in his head. _**'Okay Shikamaru... I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone now.'**_

_**'Good riddance.'**_

Ino's lip trembled. She was so tired. All she had wanted was for him to come help her up! Quickly closing off mental contact with him, she left him to ponder the universe. "Dad was right. If he likes puzzles so much then why hasn't he figured out me?" Ino's hysterical giggle transformed into a quiet sob.

In a perfect world where everyone loved her, Prince Charming would sweep her off her feet and into his arms. He would kiss her injuries all better and spend the night with her in the hospital. He would hold her tight and tell her that he loved her. But this was not a perfect world and nobody loved her.

No that's not quite right. Somebody loved her, quite a few people actually. Her Mom and Dad loved her, the people she helped loved her, Hinata loved her because Hinata loves everyone and Ino was fairly certain Kiba loved her too. Ino smiled at the thought of her two best friends. Yes they were the ones she considered best. Oh and she couldn't forget Choji and Asuma!

No it wasn't a perfect world, it wouldn't be worth living in if it was, but this was a world she could love. There was pain and sorrow, sure. But there was also joy and happiness. Because without a negative, one could never feel a positive, there would be no difference. In a perfect world there was no room for growth, only perfection.

It wasn't perfect, but it was hers. It was her life! She would enjoy it and live for herself. She would strive to grow and achieve and try for that impossible perfection, knowing she would fall short.

Ino felt a grin form on her face and new strength course through her body. She stood and limped, with purpose to her house. She didn't NEED prince charming. She didn't NEED some man to make her feel better. All she needed was to love herself. She giggled, half hysterically. Men were just a bonus and she could catch many of those.

She looked at her door and reached for the key above the door jam. Letting herself in, she put on a pot of tea and then collapsed on the couch.

A figure walked by before pausing at the half open door and walking in.

...

Ino awoke again to an annoying beeping noise. She groaned, she didn't want to go to academy today! "Daddy! I'm staying home today!" She heard a chuckle.

"Actually Pig, you're staying in the hospital."

Ino opened her eyes and looked up. "Sakura?"

The pink haired ninja looked as if she had been crying all night. "Hey Ino."


End file.
